


Knowing

by ProblemWithTrouble



Series: Pacific Rim [5]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Post-Operation Pitfall (Pacific Rim), Uprising Who?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-10 20:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18415571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblemWithTrouble/pseuds/ProblemWithTrouble
Summary: “Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t know about my mutual feelings towards you?”“Are you telling me you knew about mine?” Newt almost shouted. Volume control had never been his specialty.





	Knowing

Hermann was a worrier by nature but when the world was ending there wasn’t much time to consider what it was that Newton was going to see in his head. Even if there had been time Hermann wasn’t sure that it would have mattered. They had known each other too long to be really surprised by anything that they would see, or at least Hermann wasn’t surprised. 

When it was all over, world saved, clock stopped, and beer flowing Newt turned to Hermann like he was seeing him for the first time. “Dude,” Newt said. “I feel like I should be more shocked by the drift. I mean, I was, but not like, enough.”

“You weren’t sufficiently surprised by the plan for world domination by an alien hive mind?” Hermann asked. They had found themselves a quiet enough spot where they could both take a breather and apparently Newt could say some very stupid things. 

“You know I’m not talking about the kaiju.”

Hermann did know he wasn’t talking about that, but he couldn’t broach the subject himself. Not after all the years they had been resolutely ignoring it. 

“Well, I saw something. Something big. Completely changes the perspective of our last couple of years. Learn anything new about me?” 

“Not really. Just that we’ve worked too closely for too long.”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny Hermann,” Newt said. “I know you saw like some of the letters I didn’t put on your desk and I saw some serious stalker watching coming from you.”

Hermann just watched Newt continue to talk in circles. He was blabbering on as if what he had seen was news to him. 

“You have _feelings_ for me,” Newt said. 

Hermann furrowed his brows. “Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t know about my mutual feelings towards you?”

“Are you telling me you knew about mine?” Newt almost shouted. Volume control had never been his specialty. 

“Of course I knew, Newton. I’m not blind.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I was under the impression that we were suppressing our feelings so not to distract from our work,” Hermann said. It was obvious if Newton had cared to consider it for even a second. 

“You think your ass wasn’t distracting just because I didn’t get to grab it?” Newt said. His flailing arms came to a halt so he could point at Hermann. “That is an erroneous conclusion, Dr. Gottlieb.”

“Oh, so now you bother with my proper title?” 

“There are exactly three instances that I will call you doctor. One, when we’re arguing and it’s funny. Two, when we see your dad because it pisses him off that you got your PhD younger than him. And three, in bed if you have some weird professor kink,” Newt said, numbering them on his fingers as he went. 

The heat was in Hermann’s cheeks in full force, making him wish he could adjust his collar without Newton making comment. “Is there a point to all this nonsense?” Hermann sniped back. 

“I thought so. You have feelings for me of the non-murderous variety. I’ve been in love with you for, like, years. Unless you have another bullshit reason why we shouldn’t, I want to give it a shot.”

“It wasn’t a bullshit reason,” Hermann argued. 

“Is that why you kept it to yourself and just left me to wander around believing you hated me?”

“There wasn’t anything left to talk about.”

“I had lots left to say.” 

Hermann scoffed. “Like what?” They were getting close to the point where they stopped being able to hear each other and just started yelling over each other. At this rate they would end up screaming at each other in the middle of the party. Exposing his feelings to the whole Shatterdome was not something Hermann was interested in. 

Newt took a deep breath to steady himself. The edge to the argument was lost in the softness of Newts next words. “Like I didn’t want to die leaving things undone. We almost lost, Hermann. We were going to lose and I was never going to be able to tell you how I felt and you just decided that it didn’t matter.”

Hermann looked down at the ground and fiddled with his cane. His own voice was soft to his ears when he spoke. “I didn’t think it needed to be said. I thought I was obvious, and we had both decided to leave it alone.”

Newt tried to run his fingers through his hair but it got caught in the mix of product, blood, and other mystery substances. He adjusted the cuffs of his shirt instead. 

“Dude. You thought I was staring at you from across the lab like some sixteenth century milkmaid who’s betrothed has gone off to war for fun?”

“That’s a very specific analogy,” Hermann noted. Newt rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to undoubtedly argue that that wasn’t the point. 

Newt groaned. “If I make out with you will you shut up?”

The retort that it was a temporary solution at best was on the tip of his tongue but instead he said, “There’s only one way to find out.”

It was worth the inaccuracy in his own language to watch Newts eyes light up and have him take a step closer. “When did you get game?”

“I thought you wanted me to ¬–” 

Newt shot forward to cut him off. The initial impact wasn’t the thing dreams are made of, but when they slowed it was near magical. Newt’s hand pressed to his lower back and pulled him closer as their mouths moved together and the drift crackled between them. When they broke apart it was for air and Hermann couldn’t stop himself from kissing Newt on the cheek while he caught his breath. 

“I know I want to stay with you,” Newt whispered with his eyes closed. They had wrapped themselves up in each other’s arms as they kissed and were chest to chest. “Things are going to change now, but now that I know I don’t want to let you go. I can’t believe you knew and didn’t say anything.”

Hermann kissed his way back to Newton’s mouth. “I believe we were both a little too busy saving the world for a relationship.”

“Well, now that we’ve saved the world, I’m going to be the best damn boyfriend in the world.” Newt’s smile dimmed for just a second. “If that’s something you want.”

“Why would I want a bad boyfriend?”

“Just making sure you didn’t just want a hook up, or whatever.”

“Newton. I adore you, I would be happy to have you as my ‘boyfriend’ now that the world is out of immediate interplanetary danger.”

Newton’s smile could have powered whole cities from the way his eyes lit up to the small laugh he was letting out, like he couldn’t believe his luck.

Hermann fought off his own smile for one more second while he finished speaking. “I do have one condition. Can we please agree on a more adult term than boyfriend?”

“No.”

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://problemwithtrouble.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> kudos + comments = Love


End file.
